An industrial cleaning COO runs the work across every branch: the crews, trucks, chemicals and safety program that get them into customers' plants. The COO sets how tanks, lines and machines are cleaned and checks that each branch follows those standards on every shutdown.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, building services companies · BLS, May 2025
Serve as a strategic leader for daily operations in the industrial cleaning and degreasing domain, ensuring high performance and operational excellence. Drive process improvements, workflow innovation, and the adherence to stringent safety standards. Collaborate with executive teams and field managers to foster a culture of continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and manage daily operations to ensure optimum productivity and efficiency.
Develop and implement streamlined workflows and operational best practices.
Enforce rigorous safety standards and regulatory compliance across all service sites.
Build and maintain strong communication channels within teams and across departments.
Monitor operational performance, adjust resources, and provide regular progress reports to the CEO.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and analyze daily operational reports, identifying areas for improvement.
Conduct regular site visits and safety audits to ensure exceptional standards and compliance.
Coordinate with department heads to schedule tasks and troubleshoot operational challenges.
Engage with key clients to address concerns and ensure service satisfaction.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Workflow Efficiency Improvement: Achieve a minimum 20% increase in process efficiency.
Safety Compliance Rate: Maintain a 100% adherence to safety protocols and standards.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Consistently exceed a rating of >4.8 stars.
Operational Cost Reduction: Target a 15% decrease in overhead expenses.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Minimum of 8 years of progressive leadership experience within operations.
Strong analytical skills with a proven ability to develop and implement process improvements.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and decision-making skills.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in the industrial cleaning and degreasing services industry.
Demonstrated success in managing large-scale operational teams and multi-site operations.
Experience implementing innovative technology and process automation within operations.
Familiarity with regulatory standards and safety protocols in industrial cleaning environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 lbs for site inspections and equipment assessments.
Experience working in varied environments including warehouses, outdoor sites, and industrial facilities.
Comfort with moderate exposure to industrial chemicals in controlled settings.
Capability to conduct extended periods of standing and walking during site visits.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional extended hours during peak periods.
Expect moderate travel to operational sites and client locations.
Occasional on-call duties to address urgent operational matters.
Work in both office environments and on-site field settings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $140,000 to $200,000 USD annually, based on experience and performance.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) with company match and other retirement plan options.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development opportunities, and employee wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we pride ourselves on a collaborative work environment that promotes innovation, integrity, and growth.
Our culture is built upon a commitment to excellence, ensuring that every team member has the opportunity to thrive and make a real impact.
We value diversity, creativity, and leadership, working together to exceed customer expectations and drive industry advancements.
Join us to be part of a forward-thinking company where your contributions are recognized and your professional growth is nurtured.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What makes the COO job different in industrial cleaning
This COO's crews spend their shifts in plants the company doesn't control, next to other contractors and plant staff. Safety, trucking and wastewater rules follow them through the gate.
Two employers can be cited for one hazard
Under OSHA's multi-employer policy, more than one employer on a site can be cited for the same hazard. Your company is the exposing employer when its own crew is exposed. If another contractor created the hazard, you can still be cited if you knew of it, or should have, and didn't ask for a fix, tell your crew, and take other steps to keep them safe. North Dakota and Oklahoma have no state plan, so federal OSHA covers private sites there. Source: OSHA: Multi-Employer Citation Policy, CPL 02-00-124.
Truck drivers come with a Clearinghouse check
Drivers who need a CDL for your vacuum or jetting trucks are covered by FMCSA's drug and alcohol testing rules. Before one drives for you, run a pre-employment query in FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, then query every tested driver at least once a year. Keep ownership of the program with the COO, even when an outside firm collects the samples. Source: eCFR: 49 CFR 382.701, Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries.
Wash water has limits at the sewer
Federal pretreatment rules bar sending a city treatment works water with a pH below 5.0 unless it was built for that, oil in amounts that cause interference, or heat that pushes the treatment plant above 104 degrees F. Acid rinse, oily wash water and hot water can all break them. Cities with pretreatment programs add their own limits, so ask about caustic rinse too. Set one rule for every branch: ask each site where the water goes, and collect and haul it when nobody knows. Source: eCFR: 40 CFR 403.5, national pretreatment standards and prohibited discharges.
Shutdowns compete for the same crews
When three customers schedule outages in the same week, branches end up bidding for the same trained operators and the same trucks. The COO decides which job gets them, when to borrow from another branch, and when to subcontract or turn work down. Make that call early, from one company calendar, not the night before.
How much industrial cleaning & degreasing chief operating officers make
The closest BLS group for industrial cleaning & degreasing chief operating officers is chief executives. Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $213,990 median for chief executives in all industries. About 430 of the 204,350 chief executives in that survey work for building services companies.
Building services companies
$130,000$130,000 median Middle half $102,340–$208,630 10th–90th $93,610–$275,020
All industries
$213,990$213,990 median Middle half $129,540–$356,200 10th–90th $75,700–$507,730
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Building services companies
$93,610
$102,340
$130,000
$208,630
$275,020
All industries
$75,700
$129,540
$213,990
$356,200
$507,730
BLS doesn’t publish pay for industrial cleaning companies on their own. These figures cover services to buildings and dwellings, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run field operations across several branches or regions
Has built a contractor safety program that passed customer audits
Knows hydroblasting, vacuum truck and tank cleaning work well enough to question a plan
Fixes the cause behind a bad job instead of blaming the crew
Will tell a plant's safety director a job isn't ready to start
Teach these on the job
Each customer's contractor rules and prequalification needs
Your truck fleet, its drivers and its testing program
Your approved chemical list and where each product may go
Your branches' managers, crews and history
Your job management software and reports
The COO reads the job management system, fleet telematics, the training and certification tracker, and the field safety audit app. Ask whether the candidate built any of them or only inherited them.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Standard work
Crews clean the same type of equipment differently at different plants. What do you do?
A strong answer: Documents the best method, writes standard procedures, trains leads and audits, while allowing for each plant's rules.
Behavioral · Capacity planning
Tell me about a time you planned for a big peak in work, such as shutdown season.
A strong answer: Explains staffing, equipment and fatigue limits they planned and the result.
Each target in the template is an example. Build your own from a baseline year, branch by branch.
Workflow Efficiency Improvement
Pick a few repeat jobs, such as a nightly sanitation line or a quarterly tank cleaning, and track crew hours and truck hours for each. Compare the same job before and after a process change.
Safety Compliance Rate
Score field audits against your written procedures, counting each checklist item as met or missed. Keep injury counts out of this measure so it never gives a crew a reason to hide an injury.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Ask each plant contact for a rating after every shutdown and each quarter on repeat work. Read the comments with the branch GM and follow up on any low score that week.
Operational Cost Reduction
Track overhead by branch each month: yard rent, office staff, trucks with no job and idle equipment. Count a cut only when it holds over time without hurting safety or service.
Career path
Field supervisorLeads crews on plant jobs and learns the safety rules firsthand.
What do the COO template's lifting, chemical and standing lines mean?
They describe site work. A COO carries a gas meter, camera or inspection kit into a plant, walks a shutdown from one end to the other during a safety audit, and stands near caustic and degreasing work in a face shield and chemical gloves if the site calls for them.
How much does an industrial cleaning & degreasing chief operating officer make?
Chief executives who work for building and home services companies earned a median of $130,000 a year ($62.50 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $102,340 and $208,630 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should an industrial cleaning company use subcontractors during big shutdowns?
It can, but the plant sees one contractor: you. A subcontractor's crew has to pass the same prequalification and site orientation as yours, plus any testing the plant requires, and its mistakes land on your scorecard. Keep a short list of vetted partners, sign agreements before the busy season, and put your own supervisor on any job they staff.
How should a COO handle a chemical spill at a customer's plant?
Agree on it before the job. The plant's emergency plan usually leads, and your crew should know who to call, where the spill kits are, and how to stop the source without making things worse. Both companies may have reporting duties, so settle who calls which agency. Afterward, review what failed, whether a hose, a valve or a step, and change the procedure at every branch.
What should a COO check before the company adds hydroblasting?
Start with people, not pumps. You need operators trained on each unit, written procedures for setup, pressure and shutdown, a maker's manual for every gun and hose, and a supervisor who will stop a job when the area isn't roped off. Then look at fleet space, repair support and whether your customers will buy enough of it.
